Hostel facing lawsuit after telling Aboriginal people to leave (Haven Backpackers)
"Haven backpackers is Alice Springs newest backpackers resort, stylish, funky, super clean and with the most friendly welcome possible."
"Located a 5 minute walk to town with easy access to the cafes, shops and nightlife we offer complimentary transfers from the Train, bus and Airport." (Blurb from web site)
 Bethany Langdon: 'I felt like I wanted to cry' (Lateline) An Alice Springs backpacker hostel may face legal action after it turned away a group of Indigenous people because of their skin colour. The 16 women and children had travelled 300 kilometres from Yuendumu to Alice Springs to train as lifeguards for their community's new swimming pool. They checked into the Haven Backpackers resort, but a short time later the manager told them that guests already staying there had complained of being scared. The group included several young mothers and a three-month-old baby. Most were young leaders, chosen specially for their standing in the Yuendumu community. The resort manager told Bethany Langdon from the Yuendumu Young Leaders program the group would have to leave. "The manager came out and told me that we weren't suitable to stay there," she told ABC1's Lateline program. "They said, because you're Aboriginal, other tourists were making complaints that they were scared of us. "I felt like I wanted to cry, because it made me feel like I wasn't an Australian." See also - Formal complaint to be lodged over Alice Springs racism claims ______________________________________________________________________________
Ms Langdon says it is her first experience of overt racism. "It's a disgrace against Aboriginal people, especially when an Aboriginal women comes into town trying to be a role model to their community and get looked up to by elder people and younger people from their community and other communities," she said. The Haven resort has issued a statement saying the group was asked to leave because "Haven Hostel is a backpacker hostel catering for international backpacking tourists, which this group was not... so alternative accommodation was sought and arranged with their consultation on their behalf. We also offered to pay for that night's accommodation". The group says the manager did offer them money to go elsewhere, but they did not accept it. The people are now considering legal action on the grounds of discrimination, but say at the very least they want an apology. Northern Territory Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Tony Fitzgerald says the people may have a strong case for legal action against the backpacker resort. "If the story's true, it's disgraceful. But it's not the only story exactly like this that we've heard anecdotally at the commission," he said. "The challenge for us is to convince people who do suffer this sort of unfair treatment to make a complaint so that we can investigate it and follow it through." 'A disgrace' The Royal Lifesaving Society, who initially booked the accommodation, says the incident may harm future community building initiatives in remote areas. Its chief executive officer Rob Bradley told AM the incident is a disgrace. "It really soured the event for the Yuendumu community," he said. "We've worked over a long period of time to build the partnerships, to build the trust with 11 Indigenous communities around the NT, and so this is a big stumbling block. "I hope it doesn't put people off completely." Mr Bradley, who was with the group, says he was shocked that such an incident could happen in Australia today. He says the lifesaving program was a long-term one, designed to help improve conditions for Indigenous Australians. "One of the key parts of this program is to build trust with the local communities," he said. "For that group to be prepared to get organised, go to Alice Springs, which is about 300 kilometres away for that weekend, was a big thing. We're really hoping this doesn't set back the program completely, but it was just an absolute shocker." http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/03/11/2185739.htm Formal complaint to be lodged over Alice Springs racism claims The Federal Government has condemned any form of racism in Australia following a story on Lateline last night that reported on a group of Aboriginal people were told to leave a backpackers hostel in Alice Springs. Transcript TONY JONES: A group of Aboriginal women is preparing to lodge a formal complaint with the Northern Territory Anti-Discrimination Commissioner after being told to leave an Alice Springs backpackers hotel on the weekend.
As we reported last night, the group was in the town for lifesaver training and were asked to leave because the hotel manager said other tourists were frightened of them.
The Federal Government says the incident needs to be investigated.
Michael Troy reports.
MICHAEL TROY: News of the incident has reached Canberra and the Federal Government is not impressed.
JENNY MACKLIN, INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS MINISTER: I'm certainly very concerned about the reports that have come from Alice Springs today.
MICHAEL TROY: Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin called for people to treat each other with respect and for the Aboriginal people concerned to formally report the matter.
JENNY MACKLIN: We don't support any form of racism, it is just abominable to imagine in Australia today that this sort of racism is taking place. So, wherever we find it we encourage people to go forward to the anti-discrimination commissioner or the human rights commissioner so it can be dealt with.
MICHAEL TROY: The group from the community of Yuendumu was in Alice Springs to take part in a water safety program organised by the Royal Lifesaving Society.
A pool will open in their remote home later this year, and they were learning how to be lifesavers.
JENNY MACKLIN: We should particularly recognise just what a great project this is the Royal Lifesaving Society out there helping these kids and their mums learn to swim. Nothing could be more important when you are getting a new pool.
MICHAEL TROY: But after checking in to this resort, the group of mainly women and children say they were kicked out on Saturday night because other tourists complained about being scared of Aborigines.
BETHANY LANGDON, YUENDUMU YOUNG LEADERS PROGRAM: They said that it was because of the colour of our skin and they didn't like it. If we didn't leave, they would leave.
PAUL HENDERSON, NORTHERN TERRITORY'S CHIEF MINISTER: It is absolutely appalling that these women and kids have been discriminated against.
MICHAEL TROY: The Northern Territory's Chief Minister Paul Henderson defended the territory's image, but wants the incident investigated.
But the Territory's Anti-Discrimination Commissioner says it’s not an isolated incident.
TONY FITZGERALD, NORTHERN TERRITORY ANTI-DISCRIMINATION COMMISSIONER: It seems there's an attitude in some elements of the industry that they can treat Aboriginal people as second class citizens and treat them unlawfully.
MICHAEL TROY: Yesterday the resort management said the group was asked to leave because they were not international tourists. Today they still refused to be interviewed on camera but co-owner Greg Zammit changed tack, saying the group was not asked to leave at all and were in fact encouraged to stay. He says the manager at the time offered to move the backpackers, not the group of Aboriginal people, to alternative accommodation.
(excerpt from a letter from Greg Zammit, Haven Backpackers)
"As owners, we are disappointed and sorry for the upset and embarrassment this situation has caused the young aborigines and their companions."
Tonight, a spokesperson for the group says they will be lodging a formal complaint to the Northern Territory Anti-Discrimination Commissioner.
TONY FITZGERALD: I note that the women have gone on the record as saying they want an apology, that's one of the things that would obviously be discussed.
MICHAEL TROY: If not resolved through conciliation talks, the case goes to court where a judge could award damages or call for better training of staff.
Michael Troy, Lateline
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